Container



W. S. DIRKER Feb. 15, 193s.

CONTAINER Filed Feb. e, 1957 R. m N

Patented Feb. 15, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONTAINER ApplicationFebruary 6, 1937, Serial No. 124,477

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to a container or can having a dispensingopening which' is closed with a removable cover and has particularreference to such a can in which the cover is provided with sifterperforations and in which the cover is transposable by removal andreplacement relative to its dispensing opening to bring the sifterperforations into and out of alignment with an imperforate elementlocated in the di..- pensing opening.

An object of the invention is the provision of a can having a dispensingopening adapted to be closed by a removable cover having sifterperforations provided in a wall section thereof wherein the cover may beremoved and replaced into different positions in the dispensing openingto bring the sifter perforations into and out of alignment with animperforate element disposed in the dispensing opening, so that in oneposition of the cover the'sifter perforations are blocked off and closedby the imperforate element to prevent sifting of the contents of thecanwhile in another position of the cover the perforations are free of theimperforate element and may be used to dispense the can contents bysifting.

Another object is the provision of such a can and cover wherein theimperforate element is disposed along a portion of the edge of thedispensing opening so that the greater part of the latter isunrestricted when the cover is removed, thus facilitating filling of thecan through the opening and also permitting easy removal of the contentstherethrough as by a spoon or the like.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparentas it is better understood from the following description, which, takenin connection with the accompanying drawing, discloses a preferredembodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a can closed with a removable coverand embodying the instant invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged top plan view of the can illustrated in Fig. 1 andshowing the cover in can sealing position, part of the cover beingbroken away;

Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 2 and illustrating the cover inposition to be used as a sifter device;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse section of the upper portion of the canincluding the cover, the view being taken substantially along the line4-4 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of the upper portion of the canincluding the cover and drawn at the same scale as Fig. 4, the viewbeing taken ubstantially along the broken line 5 5 in Fig.

; and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view similar to Fig. 4, the view beingtaken substantially along the line 6 6 in Fig. 3.

A preferred embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the drawingdiscloses a well known type of oblong spice or condiment can comprisinga tubular body I I with a closed bottom and having a top or frictionring I2. Both bottom and top are permanently secured to the body as insuitable seams I3.

The top or friction ring I2, inwardly of its seam I3 is depressed orcountersunk to form a horizontal panel I4. The panel is provided with aslightly raised continuous shoulder I5 having spaced straight andparallel side sections I6 which are joined at their .ends bycurvedsections Il. These shoulder sections dene an oblate shaped lling anddispensing opening l which is thus formed in the panel wall. Theshoulder terminates in a depending flange I9 which extends down into thedispensing opening I8 and which provides a friction seat for a removableclosure member or friction cover 2l used for effectively sealing theopening or for providing sifter means as hereinafter described.

y The friction cover 2l is formed with a horizontal bottom wall 22 whichmerges, at its outer edges, into a substantially vertical uprightfriction wall 23. The friction Wall is adapted to tightly fit within thefriction seat provided by the depending ilange I9 of the ring I2 whenthe cover is in place on the'can. The top edge of the friction wall 23is bent outwardly and thence downwardly and back on itself to provide asmooth flange 24 which may be utilized as a gripping or hand holdelement when applying the cover to the can or when removing it.

Provision is also made as has been suggested for utilizing the cover 2|as a sifter topI for the can to thus conveniently dispense its contentsin powdered form. For this purpose the friction cover is provided with aplurality of sifter perforations 25 which are formed in the horizontalbottom Wall 22. These sifter perforations are preferably groupedtogether in a straight Vline arranged adjacent one of the straight sidesof the cover as shown in Figs. l, 2 and 3. In one position of the coverin its friction seat I9 as shown in Figs. 3 and 6 the sifterperforations communicate with the interior of the can so that itscontents may be freely dispensed through the perforations.

In another position these sifter perforations 25 are blocked 01T and thecan is then sealed against sifting of its contents as when the can isnot in use and during shipment and storage. This sealing action iseifected by removing the cover, turning it around so that the sifterperforations will be transposed to the opposite side of the dispensingopening I8, and then replacing the cover in the opening. This brings thesifter perforations into alignment with a substantially horizontalimperforate plate or element 2'! which is located in the dispensingopening and which is engaged by the bottom of the replaced cover. Inthis second position the plate completely covers up and seals theperforations against sifting.

The imperforate plate element 21 is preferably formed at the bottom of asubstantially vertical wall section 28 (Fig. 5) which constitutes adepending continuation of a portion of the friction seat flange I9 ofthe ring I2. The element projects inwardly in a plane just below thedispensing opening I8 at an angle to the friction Seat flange andprovides a narrow ledge or shelf which extends along a portion of one ofthe straight sides I6 of the shoulder I5 defining the oblate dispensingopening. The ledge or shelf is preferably bent slightly beyond thehorizontal and it'possesses a certain natural spring which makes ityieldable so that when the cover is pushed home in its friction seat itwill slightly depress the free edge of the element and bring the latterinto a position parallel with the bottom of the cover. This provides atighter sealing engagement.

The location of the imperforate element 2'I leaves the major portion ofthe dispensing opening I8 free and unrestricted so that the can may bereadily filled through the opening when the friction cover is removed.This location of the imperforate element further facilitates easyremoval of the can contents in bulk quantities by providing a clearpassageway through which a spoon or other instrumentality may be readilyintroduced into the can.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantageswill be understood from the foregoing description, and it will beapparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction andarrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the formhereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. A container having a dispensing opening, an imperforate elementprojecting into said opening, and a cover having sifter perforations forpartially or for fully closing said dispensing opening, said cover beingadapted for removal and replacement into diiferent positions Within saiddispensing opening, in one such position said sifter perforations beingin sealing engagement with said imperforate element and with theperforations blocked off and the dispensing opening fully closed and inanother position with said sifter perforations free of said imperforateelement and providing communication with the interior of said container.

2. A container having a dispensing opening, an imperforate elementformed as a narrow shelf projecting into said opening and arranged alongone side thereof leaving the greater portion of the openingunrestricted, and a removable cover for said dispensing opening saidcover having a plurality of sifter perforations grouped adjacent a sidethereof and alignable with said imperforate shelf, said cover beingtransposable by removal and replacement into two different positionswithin said dispensing opening, one po- Sition of said cover aligningsaid sifter perforations in sealing engagement with said imperforateshelf with the perforations blocked off and in its other position withthe sifter perforations uncovered and free of said imperforate shelfthus providing communication with the interior of said container.

3. A container having a dispensing opening, a yieldable imperforateelement projecting into said opening, and a cover insertable Within saiddispensing opening and having sifter perforations, said cover beingremovable and replaceable into different positions within saiddispensing opening, in one such position with said sifter perforationsin alignment with and the adjacent cover part pressing down on saidyieldable element and with said sifter perforations blocked 01T and inanother position having said sifter perforations free of said yieldingelement and open to provide communication with the interior of saidcontainer.

4. A container having a friction ring, a friction seat flange formed insaid ring and defining a dispensing opening for the container, ayieldable imperforate element formed integrally with said friction seatflange and extending along a portion thereof as a narrow shelfprojecting into said opening, and a removable friction cover adapted tofit tightly into said friction seat flange for closing said opening andhaving a bottom panel wall cut through with a plurality of sifterperforations grouped adjacent a side thereof and adapted for alignmentand for sealing engagement with said imperforate element to provide suchclosing of said dispensing opening, said cover being transposable byremoval and replacement into a different position relative to saidopening in which latter position said sifter perforations are out ofalignment with and are free of said imperforate yieldable shelf therebyeffecting communication with the interior of said container.

WILLIAM S. DIRKER.

